Lights Out

I yawned, walking through the store, getting the needed things for my sister and her friends to make s'mores. It was too fucking late for this, but no, they needed the things. I was in my pajamas, walking through the practically empty store, thunder rumbling in the background.

I grabbed myself some snacks - since my mom gave me her credit card to use for this - and went to the front. The only cashier there was someone I’ve seen before, James Sullivan. We’ve talked before, usually just when I was getting groceries, but we weren’t exactly friends. He was drumming on the belt, keeping himself amused, but stopped when he saw me. “Hello,” He greeted.

“Hi,” I said around a yawn, putting everything on the belt. He started scanning the things and putting them in bags, which I moved to the cart.

“You look like you’re gonna fall over,” He told me with a chuckle.

I nodded and rubbed at my eyes. “Sister sent me to the store so she could make s’mores with her friends.” I shook my head and swiped the card when it was time to.

“Makes sense. I’d send someone to the store for me if I could.” He gave me the receipt, smiling. “Will you be cool to drive home?... I don’t want you to crash into something...‘Specially with the rain and thunder and all that...”

I smiled. “Don’t worry... I don’t live far.” I waved and started walking towards the automatic doors when a loud boom thudded and the lights went out. I jumped and tried to see anything, but the only light source was the lightning that was outside and not constant. “Shit...”

“Oh no...” I heard footsteps and then some banging noise. “Fuck. Come on. This is where technology gets us... Sure, we don’t have to open doors, but now we can’t open the doors.” I looked up when I heard a lighter flick on and saw the small glow.

“Fuck,” I muttered, taking my phone out. I sent a text to my sister, that she probably wouldn’t get because her phone was dying when I left, and told her I was locked in the store. I used the flashlight app-thing and Jimmy pocketed his lighter.

“Well, looks like we’re stuck here until the power comes back...”

“Yeah...”

“Your name’s Johnny, right?” He asked, looking at me. He looked a little evil with the light on his face. I nodded. “I’m Jimmy.”

I refrained from telling him I knew that and nodded again. “Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah. Well, we got time to kill, so-” He hopped up on the belt and looked at me. “Wanna chill?”

I nodded and tried to get up on the belt, but due to my not-as-tallness, I failed. Jimmy laughed and pulled me up. “Thanks,” I muttered, blushing a little. I had height problems, so him being so tall made me jealous and made me not like him a little. I got over that, though, and crossed my legs under me. Jimmy had one under him with his other leg sticking out and almost hitting my knee.

“So, short stuff, aren’t you glad you got stuck with getting groceries?” He laughed. I put my phone down, with the light up so we could kinda see.

“Oh yeah,” I mumbled, rubbing at my eyes again. Damn, I was tired. “I wish I wasn’t locked in here, though...I’m tired,” I told him.

He nodded. “I get that... I’m a night-owl, though, so I get tired in the day. Drives my parents nuts,” He laughed.

“I can’t sleep during the day... The most I sleep in is to eight and that’s when the sun is hiding.” I smiled.

“Weirdo.” He chuckled. “I have another friend like that... He’s always waking me up to entertain him during day-light hours.” He scowled. “Ass-face.”

I chuckled. “Always fun... I have a friend who wakes me up in the middle of the night... She comes to my house cause I turn my phone off at night.”

“Nice,” Jimmy said with a shake of his head. “I’d beat Matt with a fork if he did that.”

“With a fork?”

He nodded. “I eat in my room, so fork is closer than any thing else.” I chuckled. “What’s the closest thing to your bed?” He asked, tilting his head to the side. He seemed like a curious child.

“Alarm clock?”

“Besides that!”

I snorted and thought. “Phone?” He shook his head. “Um... I have a bat under my bed?”

“...Why?” He looked confused. “Why a bat? And under your bed?”

I shook my head, actually smiling. He was interesting, that’s for sure. “Cause my sister bugs me and I can threaten her with it? And if someone uninvited comes in, I can make them back up...”

He snorted. “A bat wouldn’t make me back off. It’d make me kick it from you and hit you on the head with it.” He grinned.

“Don’t you sound fun,” I teased.

“I’m a blast!” He grinned, more if possible. “Besides, I wouldn’t hit you on the head, hard... Just a love tap.”

“How does a fork work better than a bat?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Cause a fork is pointy... Bat isn’t.”

“Bat weighs more and is longer.”

“So? I know how to use a fork.”

“I know how to use a bat,” I argued. He snorted. “What?”

“Nothin’. You’re just cute, short shit.” I punched his leg, lightly, not liking that comment. I didn’t like people making fun of my height... I wasn’t that short. “What was that for?”

“Stop calling me short,” I commanded.

“Why? Does it hurt your feelings?” He asked like he was talking to a baby.

“Fuck off. My sister makes fun of me being short...I just don’t like it.”

He raised his hands. “My bad, sho-. My bad.” He smiled, innocently. I shook my head, yawning again. “Still tired? I can fix that.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

I raised an eyebrow at him. “...What?”

“A joke. Twas a joke.”

I tried not to ask, but my curiosity got the better of me. “I know it’s not my business, but...are you gay?” I asked.

He nodded with a shrug. “Yeah. But if you’re a homophobe, I’ll kick your little ass,” He warned, pointing a finger at me.

I shook my head. “No, I’m not. I’m gay too,” I admitted to the one person besides my best friend. It wasn’t very common, being gay, around here.

“No shit. What’s your type?” He asked, going back to grinning. “Handsome, tattooed, cute?” He straightened up, gesturing to himself.

I rolled my eyes, laughing a little. “I don’t have a type...”

“Bullshit.”

“I don’t. I’m attracted to personality.” He snorted. “What’s your type, then?”

“Someone shorter than me, which isn’t hard to get. Someone cute and adorable. Tattoos are cool too. Oh and it doesn’t hurt if he smokes.” He grinned. “You’re turn, cutie.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Alright... Someone masculine... Not super short hair, but not too long either. Someone who’s more serious than not. And smart.” I kind of went out of my way to not describe him, exactly, but it was hard when he was pretty sweet.

He laughed, shaking his head. “Come on, Johnny, you’re supposed to describe me. Do I seem like a serious person?” He shook his head again.

I rolled my eyes, something that seemed to be a habit with him. “Whatever. I don’t really have a type, though.”

“Even more of a reason for you to describe me.” He stuck his tongue out at me.

“How do you know you’re my type?”

He threw his head back. “You just said you don’t have a type!” He laughed. I chuckled and shook my head. “So...have you ever been with a guy? I mean, the area and all, not a lot of us gays to go around.”

I shook my head, blushing. “My first crush was on this guy in one of my classes... He’s gay, I know because he has a boyfriend... But, he’s pretty sexy. And very cocky.”

“Brian? Haner?” I nodded. “He’s one of my best friends,” He laughed. “I’m telling him you had a crush on him!”

“Don’t,” I hissed, blushing more. I was glad there was little lighting in here, otherwise he’d probably make fun of me.

“Well, come on. My boyfriend had a crush on him, but I got the cutie? It’s a story worth telling.” He grinned.

I shook my head and it was a moment before I noticed what he said. “Wait... your boyfriend?”

“Yeah. I claimed you. Done.” He smirked. “Got a problem with that?”

“That’s not how you ask someone out,” I argued, not really appalled to dating him. But I wanted him to actually ask.

“Sure it is. I think I’m gonna count this as our first date, too.”

“No, this is not a date. You have to ask someone on a date. This is me held here against my will.”

He laughed. “So? You’re enjoying it... Come on, you’re totally my boyfriend now.”

“Nope. I don’t count it until after an actual date ends with a kiss,” I told him, crossing my arms.

“...What classifies as a date, then?”

“Dinner that’s paid for.” I rolled my eyes, chuckling a little. He held up a finger and practically disappeared. I shook my head and I heard him come back not too long after.

“This is from my paycheck and now-” He hopped back up onto the belt. “We shall eat.” He held up two small boxes of Cheez-its, making me roll my eyes. He gave me one, grinning. I laughed, shook my head, and opened it. We started eating with him brushing his foot against my knee. We were both finished with our boxes rather quickly and he grinned. “Did you like it?” He asked, laughing.

I chuckled and rolls my eyes, yet again. “Yes...loser.”

He grinned and got up on his knees to lean over. He cupped my cheek in his hand and pressed his lips to my forehead before my nose and then finally kissed me. It was soft and a little wet - overall it seemed like a weird thing to do. “Be my boyfriend, now?” He asked, softly.

I smiled. “Okay...” He grinned and kissed me again. “You’re a dork.”

He laughed. “A bit, yeah.” We sat there in a small comfortable silence before the lights flickered on. Jimmy looked up. “Huh... You accepted being my boyfriend and the lights turned on. Magic.” He grinned.

“Magic? Really?”

He nodded. He took my phone and looked up at me when the lock screen probably stopped him. I took it from him and entered my password. He clicked around and gave it back to me. “There. My number is in there now. You will text me when you get home safe, boyfriend.”

I snorted and climbed off the belt. “Only if you don’t tell Brian that I had a crush on him.”

“I can’t promise that.”

“I can’t promise that I’ll text you, then.”

He smiled. “You’ll text me.” He kissed me. “I’ll help you to your car.” He took my hand and pushed my cart to the car I pointed to in the parking lot. He loaded my few groceries into the front seat and smirked seeing my cigarettes. “Smoking doesn’t hurt your hotness.” He kissed me again and skipped - fucking skipped - back into the store. I shook my head and drove home, a small big smile on my face.

“...I have a boyfriend,” I murmured to myself. I got out of the car and went inside to find my sister and her friends passed out. I didn’t think I was there long, but it was an hour and a half after I had gone to the store.

I went to my room and texted the name in my phone labeled: Boyfriend<3 that I made it home safe. Like he said I would.